Archive for online pr

I’m a social media newbie. I’m not an expert, I’m not a guru, I’m not a leading authority. I wouldn’t even say I’m a blogger.

Having been a publicist (and often getting sidetracked with my own entrepreneurial ventures) for more than 18 years, last year I launched PR in Your Pajamas with the goal of helping entrepreneurs get the kind of publicity in newspapers and magazines usually reserved for corporate clients who can afford hefty retainers.

In other words, helping small biz clients get publicity in what you would call “traditional” or “offline” media. Very quickly, I got immersed in social media, which I consider to be an extension of “online PR”. Read More→

In a recent post I talked about the difference between offline and online PR for small businesses. Just to take it a step further, I think of Social Media as Online PR because at the end of the day, social media is a means of establishing your brand and getting buzz for your business.

In creating a PR campaign, you need to determine your key messages and your key audiences, you need to prepare a way to communicate your message (writing a press release, media pitch or media kit), you need to pitch the media and then track what the media is saying about your company.

If you’re new to PR, public relations for small businesses is all about building your reputation. It’s the result of what you do and say, and what others say about you. PR establishes credibility and generates awareness outside your limited inner circle so that people can’t wait to come in droves to your site or store to evaluate the information for themselves, join your company, invite you as a potential partner, invest as a stakeholder or buy your product or service.

It’s crucial to include PR in a small business marketing plan as a way to differentiate yourself from the competition.

PR pros can use many different tactics for a product launch, or to sustain longer-term public relations goals such as brand building or local community relations.

I was talking to Alexis Martin-Neely recently, an entrepreneur, mom and family lawyer that I absolutely adore, getting to know each other, talking about the online business I started with my husband and how we sold it for six-figures in less than a year because of PR – when she asked me a question that stumped me:

“Where is that story on your website?”

Umm, it’s there buried in my bio, typically called “About” on a navigation bar but I had decided to be creative and use SEO terms that had nothing to do with what most readers would expect landing on a new site.

“You should really make it easier to find, as it builds your credibility,” says Alexis.

As I was going through some blogs and websites for entrepreneurs and small businesses, the ones that had the most impact used testimonials on their site. Why? It gives me, who may be a new reader on their site, proof of how good their service or product is. It shows readers how much other people have tried and tested their product/service and how satisfied they were. So, to get a testimonial that will boost your business, here are some quick tips.

Make it easy for them to say YES by guiding them on what you want highlighted in the testimonial. Most people don’t like to write so ask just 3 – 5 questions on how did your product work for them? How were you to work with? What did they like? What could you do better (this is also great research for you in terms of product development) – ask whatever question will serve your needs best. From the answers, craft a testimonial and ask them to approve it. Read More→

Listen to my interview with David Siteman Garland – writer, producer and award-winning host of the hit ABC-TV series The Rise to The Top, which has inspired over 500,000 entrepreneurs in its first season.

The Rise to The Top empowers learning and inspiration for young and young-at-heart entrepreneurs through the TV show, events and resources on the website. You can learn from entrepreneurs such as Maxine Clark of Build a Bear Workshop and social media superstar Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV.

If you’re an entrepreneur or mompreneur, you’ll want to hear David’s tips on getting PR coverage on his TV show and online PR such as “just introduce yourself, refer to something you may have seen on the show and include a buzz point or what’s exciting in your business.”

Hurry and listen now, David’s energy is contagious (his show will probably be national if not international soon) and at the moment he reads every email, yup, every email that comes his way so if you have an interesting story to tell, make sure he hears about YOU!

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Disclosure

Please assume that I have a material connection with some of the products/services mentioned on my blog. That means that I may receive a commission if you purchase through my link. While I only recommend what I truly believe in, please do you own research to decide if a purchase is best for you. Thank you!